Susan Johnson (Australian author)

Susan Johnson (born 1956) is an Australian author of literary fiction, memoir, short stories and essays. She has been a full-time writer since 1985, with occasional stints of journalism at Australian newspapers, journals and magazines.^[1]

Biography

Johnson was born in 1956, in Brisbane, Queensland. She spent her childhood in Sydney, attending St Ives High School In New South Wales and then Nambour High School and Clayfield College in Queensland. She was formerly Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing, Queensland University of Technology.^[2]

At the National Library of Australia Johnson delivered the 2011 Ray Mathew Lecture^[3] entitled "Prodigal Daughter", in which she explored the topic of expatriate Australian women authors, her ambivalent relationship to Australia, and Australia's attitude towards its artists.^[4]

Susan Johnson was on the program to appear in 3 events at the 2017 Brisbane Writers Festival in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.^[5]

Published works

• Latitudes: New Writing From The North, University of Queensland Press, 1986. ISBN 0-7022-2021-3
• Messages from Chaos Harper and Row, 1987. ISBN 0-06-312091-7
• Flying Lessons, Heinemann 1990. ISBN 0-85561-344-0
• A Big Life, MacMillan, 1993. ISBN 0-7329-0772-1
• Women Love Sex, Vintage, 1996. ISBN 0-09-183255-1
• A Better Woman: A Memoir Random House, 1999. ISBN 0-09-183551-8
• The Broken Book, Allan & Unwin, 2005. ISBN 1-74114-351-9^[6][7]
• Life in Seven Mistakes, Heinemann, 2008. ISBN 978-1-86325-615-5^{[8][9][10][11]}
• On Beauty, Melbourne University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-522-85602-6^[12]
• My Hundred Lovers, Allen & Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781741756357
• The Landing, Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760113933
• From Where I Fell, Allen & Unwin, 2021. ISBN 9781760876555
• Aphrodite’s Breath, Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN 9781760876562

Contributed chapter

• "Outside manners", pp. 206–215, in: Destroying the joint, edited by Jane Caro, Read How You Want (2015, ISBN 9781459687295).

Honors and awards

• 1985: Australia Council Literature Board New Writers Grant^[3]
• 1989: Nancy Keesing Fellowship at Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris.^[3]

Voss Literary Prize	From Where I Fell, 2022, shortlisted[13]
APA Book Design Award Best Designed Literary Fiction Book Award	The Broken Book, 2006, shortlisted[3]
Association for the Study of Australian Literature ALS Gold Medal	The Broken Book, 2006, shortlisted[3]
CAL (Copyright Agency Limited) Waverley Library Award for Literature	The Broken Book, 2006, shortlisted[3]
Commonwealth Writers' Prize	The Broken Book, 2006, shortlisted[3]
International Dublin Literary Award	The Broken Book, longlisted 2006.[14]
The Miles Franklin Award	The Broken Book, longlisted 2005[15]
National Biography Award	A Better Woman, shortlisted 1999.[3]
National Book Council Banjo Award	A Big Life, shortlisted 1994.[3]
Nita Kibble Literary Award	The Broken Book, shortlisted 2006[3]
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Fiction Prize	The Broken Book, shortlisted 2006[3]
Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction Victorian Premier's Literary Awards	Flying Lessons shortlisted, 1991[3] A Big Life, shortlisted 1994[3]